(14 track CD) MUSE SICK MUSICThis is my first experience hearing ANA KEFR, and what a great experience it was. This band has injected some freshness into the extreme Metal scene. They have a very Progressive sound that is based in the Death Metal genre, but goes way beyond your typical Death Metal band. There are many elements of Power Metal & some slight Black & Folk Metal elements as well. The arrangements of their songs is very unique and has a very original sound. Harsh groggy Death vocals round out the sound with some angelic Folk Metal female vocals mixed within. If you want to hear the future of underground extreme Metal than look no further. An amazing release from start to finish!www.ANAKEFR.com

BIG SEXY NOISE - SELF TITLED(12 track CD) SARTORIAL RECORDSBIG SEXY NOISE is a very killer "No Wave" type band headed by the beautiful Lydia Lunch. She has been an icon in the underground music scene since the 70's. She has gone through a lot ofchanges playing many styles of music through her long career, but she has kinda come full circle. The music is very gritty, raw and some what dirty feeling, that kind of takes you back to the way the New York scene was back in the 70's. There are many influences taken from Art Rock, Punk Rock, Crustcore & Performance Rock all mixed together to create some killer music. If you blend elements of IGGY AND THE STOOGES, SONIC YOUTH, ROLLINS BAND, RAMONES, early BLONDIE with the lifestyle of the 70's in New York City, then you'd get a close idea of what this band sounds like. This is her best work since the stuff she put out early in her career. I loved it!www.LYDIA-LUNCH.org

DANGER FREE ANIMALS - PATRIMONO DE MERDA(10 track CD) RADISH RECORDSDANGER FREE ANIMALS has been kicking around the Spanish underground scene since 1997 and are still going strong. This is the bands second full length release. The band has shown much improvement over the years and this new release definitely shows that. They play in the vein of old school Thrash Metal. They mix in a lot of grooved out Thrash parts within their songs. You can hear some influence from early 80's Thrash Metal bands in their sound like DESTRUCTION, WRATHCHILD AMERICA, TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN & EXODUS. The vocals are allsung in Spanish, so I couldn't really follow along, but other than that this is a decent release from DANGER FREE ANIMALS playing some very cool throwback Thrash Metal.www.myspace.com/DANGERFREEANIMALS

(9 track CD) CONCRETO RECORDSThis album was released in 2002, but I just received it for review recently. NAHEMAH is another great band out of Spain. These guys immerse themselves in some really dark Black Metal music. They have a very Symphonic sound that takes me back to a lot of the earlier Black Metal bands coming out of Europe. There is a strong rawness, not under produced, but just kind of gritty and raw. It takes you from slow melodic atmospheric parts into some heavy pounding blasts. The mixture of these styles flows flawlessly. The vocals mimic the music as well, from melodic almost Gothic like vocals into harsh throaty Black Metal growls and screams. If your a fan of new atmospheric Black Metal or raw old school Black Metal harshness, everyone will find something to love in this amazing band! Seek out their releases, cause you'll enjoy what you find!www.NAHEMAHband.com

(17 track CD) SUBURBAN NOIZE"THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD" is the debut release from New York based SAIGON. SAIGON is a Rap artist who is doing what he wants with his music. After a previous label tried to control his music he quit the business. But he's back now with a very strong debut release. The music is done in a west coast style merged with east coast Rap. It's like the stuff that was coming out of New York & California about 10 years back, but completely merged together. I'm not a huge fan of Rap music, especially the new school of Rap. I'm more into stuff like CYPRESS HILL, RUN D.M.C., FU-SCHNIKAS, HOUSE OF PAIN, BEASTIE BOYS & THE GOATS, but this sounds as good, if not better than most of the stuff being pumped out today by the music industry!www.myspace.com/SAIGONthayardfather

SCATTERED HAMLET - HILLBILLY HARMONY(4 track CD) INNER LIGHT AGENCYSCATTERED HAMLET was a very welcomed surprise. I wasn't sure if I was going to like these guys or not, but I loved them. They play a very cool mixture of Southern Rock, Classic Rock & Metal. The music is totally rockin' all through out and sounds amazing. There are times you can hear some Sludge Metal shinning through. The vocals also follow the path of the music. It has a really grooving Southern & Classic Rock vibe, but has the aggression and energy of Metal. These guys are going to become very popular if they keep putting out amazing work like this album. It's like BLACK LABEL SOCIETY with a bunch of Southern Rock & Classic Rock thrown into the mix. Check these guys out!www.SCATTEREDHAMLET.com

MAJESTIC DOWNFALL - TEMPLE OF GUILT(5 track CD) CONCRETO RECORDS / PERSONAL RECORDSMAJESTIC DOWNFALL is a one man Doom Metal band out of Mexico. The band plays in amid 90's European Doom Metal style. There is a lot of melodic and atmospheric parts mix within all through out. You can hear a lot of Death Metal influences present in a lot of the songs as well. There is a cold and haunting vibe that blankets the bands sound. You can also hear slight touches of Black Metal shinning through from time to time. Thick throaty Death growls accompany the Doom Metal elements & help propel this band into a different sound. This isn't your typical Doom Metal band & they are probably one of the best Doom bands I have heard in a long time. This is an absolute must!www.myspace.com/MAJESTICDOWNFALL

(11 track CD) Self Released"THE LONELIEST LONELINESS" is the debut full length CD release from this Brazilian Death Metal band. These guys have been tearing up the underground scene since 1999. They have definitely progressed from each new offering. This new release shows the band at the top of their game and lets you really see how much they have improved. They have a really strong old school Death Metal feel, but they mix in many elements of Black Metal & Thrash Metal to round out the bands sound. The vocals stay mainly in a middle ground of the three styles with mid ranged harsh Death growls. SODAMNED is a great representation of what the underground Metal scene in Brazil has to offer. A must for all Death heads!!!www.SODAMNED.com

HERE COMES THE KRAKEN - THE OMEN(5 track CD) CONCRETO RECORDSHailing out of Mexico comes the Deathcore band HERE COMES THE KRAKEN. These guys play a new school style of Death Metal music. The music is ultra fast, loud and spastic sounding all through out. They almost crossover into Grindcore at times, but sway right back into Death Metal. The music has a lot of change ups & breakdowns all through out as well. The vocals are harsh higher ended growls mix with some lower ended growls at times. These guys are one of the better bands playing this style out there now. This is one for fans of THE FACELESS, BORN OF OSIRIS & JOB FOR A COWBOY!!!www.myspace.com/HERECOMESTHEKRAKEN

THE RIGOR MORTIS - VAPORIZATION OF BLOOD(17 track CD) ALARMA RECORDSIf your looking for some of the best Grind Gore out there, look no further. THE RIGOR MORTISdeliver the gore in full. They are a Grindcore band out of Russia, but drench everything in tons of blood, guts and gore. From the moment the CD starts you get blasted with intense, spastic and pissed off Grind. There is actually a little bit of a groove to their style as well. The vocals are low ended guttural Grind & Death growls all through out. These guys will crush and destroy most of the bands playing this style. If you want to experience some of the best gore to come out of Russia then git this disc and blast it loud and often! All hail the gore!!!www.RIGORMORTIS-rus.com